Best platforms to sell digital products in 2025

If you're a creator looking to monetize your expertise in 2025, you're in luck. The digital product marketplace has never been more accessible—or more competitive. Whether you're selling online courses, ebooks, templates, or membership subscriptions, choosing the right platform can make or break your success.

But here's the thing: there's no one-size-fits-all answer. The "best" platform depends entirely on what you're selling, who you're selling to, and how much control you want over your business. Let's break down your options.

The Major Players: What Works for Whom

Shopify: The Heavyweight Champion

If you're serious about building a full-fledged e-commerce brand—especially if you're mixing physical and digital products—Shopify is hard to beat. Its robust app ecosystem gives you everything from digital delivery tools to advanced marketing automation. You get complete branding control, which means your store looks and feels exactly how you want it.

The catch? It's not the simplest option for beginners, and you're looking at monthly fees starting around $27, plus payment processing costs. But if you're planning to scale, that investment pays off.

Podia: The Creator's Best Friend

For non-technical creators who just want to get started without wrestling with tech, Podia is a dream. It's an all-in-one platform that handles courses, digital downloads, memberships, email marketing, and even webinars—all in one place. The interface is clean, the setup is straightforward, and on higher plans, there are no transaction fees eating into your profits.

Podia even offers a free plan if you're just testing the waters, though you'll pay transaction fees until you upgrade.

Gumroad: Fast and Simple

If you value speed and simplicity above all else, Gumroad gets you selling in minutes. It's perfect for solo creators who want to launch quickly without overthinking things. The platform handles VAT and sales tax automatically, offers pay-what-you-want pricing options, and provides solid analytics.

The trade-off? You're paying 10% plus $0.50 per transaction if you're on the free plan. For many creators, especially those just starting out, that's a worthwhile price for the convenience.

Payhip: The Budget-Friendly Option

Payhip flies under the radar, but it's an excellent choice for small sellers and beginners. It handles VAT compliance automatically (a huge headache-saver if you're selling internationally), offers instant payouts, and includes email marketing and affiliate programs right out of the box.

Best of all? It's free forever, with just a 5% transaction fee. Upgrade to a paid plan and those fees drop or disappear entirely.

Etsy: The Built-In Audience

If you're selling digital printables, templates, or creative assets, Etsy gives you immediate access to millions of active buyers. The platform is trusted, the listing process is simple, and you don't need to drive your own traffic—at least not at first.

The downside? You're competing in a crowded marketplace, and you'll pay listing fees ($0.20 per item), transaction fees (6.5%), and payment processing fees. Plus, you have limited control over your branding and customer relationships.

Teachable: For the Educators

If your focus is specifically on online courses and coaching, Teachable is built for exactly that. It offers advanced course delivery tools, student management systems, built-in tax handling, and affiliate program options. Like Podia, it offers a free plan with transaction fees or paid plans with lower costs.

But Wait—There's a New Player in Town

While these platforms have dominated the market, there's a fundamental problem they haven't fully solved: most creators still can't make a living.

According to recent data, 48% of creators earn under $15,000 annually. Mid-tier creators—those with 5,000 to 50,000 followers—struggle the most. They have an audience, they have expertise, but they're stuck using fragmented tools that don't talk to each other, paying high platform fees, and worst of all, they can't get affiliates to promote their work because the incentive structure is all wrong.

Enter Artizan.tv: Built Differently

This is where Artizan.tv is changing the game. Instead of just being another marketplace, it's designed specifically to solve the problems that keep mid-tier creators broke.

Here's what makes it different:

The Pulse Engine
This is the killer feature. Most platforms treat affiliate marketing as an afterthought—you set up a commission, hope someone promotes you, and manually pay them weeks later. Artizan.tv's Pulse Engine flips this model completely. Affiliates get paid instantly when they drive a sale, and here's the genius part: those rewards automatically regenerate with every transaction. It's a self-funding growth loop that aligns everyone's incentives perfectly.

Think about it: affiliates are way more motivated to promote your content when they're getting paid immediately, not waiting 30-60 days for a payout. And creators don't have to front cash for marketing—it's built into every sale.

Custom Storefronts with Community Tools
You're not just dropping products into someone else's marketplace. You get your own customizable storefront where you can sell courses, ebooks, templates, blueprints, memberships—whatever you create. And crucially, you get built-in community features to engage and retain your audience.

No more juggling Circle for community, Gumroad for sales, and ConvertKit for emails. It's all in one place.

AI That Actually Helps You Grow
Artizan.tv's AI isn't just a gimmick. It analyzes your performance across Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, and X, then gives you a score (0-100) that updates daily. But more importantly, it gives you 3-5 actionable recommendations on how to improve.

It also handles smart pricing—suggesting optimal price points and even running quick A/B tests at publish time. And it auto-matches you with affiliates who are the best fit for your content. The goal? Get you to your first sale in under 14 days and keep conversion rates climbing.

The Business Model Makes Sense
Artizan.tv takes a 20% commission on organic sales and 15% on affiliate-driven sales—competitive with other platforms. But here's the kicker: no fees on affiliate payouts. That's money staying in the ecosystem, fueling more promotions and more sales.

Plus, there are optional subscription plans for creators who want premium features like advanced analytics and boosted discovery tools.

Making Your Choice: What Matters Most?

When you're evaluating platforms, here's what to think through:

Your Product Type

Some platforms are specialists. Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing is perfect for ebooks. Creative Market dominates design assets. But if you're selling multiple types of digital products—or planning to expand—you want a general-purpose platform with flexibility.

Technical Comfort Level

Be honest with yourself. Platforms like Gumroad and Payhip prioritize simplicity and speed. Shopify gives you more power but requires more know-how. Most creator-focused platforms like Podia, Teachable, and Artizan.tv strike a middle ground—powerful but approachable.

Audience vs. Control

Marketplaces like Etsy hand you an audience but take away branding control. Building your own site with Shopify or WordPress gives you complete ownership of customer relationships—but you have to drive all the traffic yourself.

Artizan.tv offers an interesting hybrid: you get discovery tools and an explore page to find new audiences, but you also maintain your own branded storefront and community.

Pricing Structure

This is huge. Monthly subscriptions are predictable but eat into profits when you're just starting. Transaction fees are invisible until you start scaling, then they hurt. Do the math based on your expected volume:

• If you're just testing: Free plans with transaction fees (Gumroad, Payhip, Podia Free)
• If you're selling consistently: Paid plans with lower/no transaction fees (Payhip Pro, Podia Plus)
• If you're scaling big: Platforms with predictable costs (Shopify, Teachable)

Features That Actually Matter

Don't get distracted by feature lists. Focus on what you'll actually use:

• Email marketing: Built-in tools save you from paying for Mailchimp or ConvertKit
• Affiliate programs: Critical if you want others promoting your work (this is where Artizan.tv's Pulse Engine shines)
• Tax compliance: Handling VAT and sales tax automatically is worth its weight in gold
• Analytics: You need to know what's working and what's not
• Community tools: If you're building a membership or course, engagement features matter

Some platforms like Lemon Squeezy or Paddle act as a "Merchant of Record," handling global tax compliance for you. That's a massive advantage if you're selling internationally.

The Bottom Line

In 2025, there's no shortage of platforms to sell digital products. Shopify, Podia, Gumroad, Payhip, Etsy, and Teachable all have their strengths. Your choice comes down to your specific situation.

But if you're a mid-tier creator tired of piecing together multiple tools, struggling to get affiliates interested in your products, and frustrated by platforms that take huge cuts without actually helping you grow, Artizan.tv is worth a serious look.

It's the only platform built specifically around the problems that keep creators stuck at $15K a year. The Pulse Engine solves affiliate misalignment. The AI actually helps you improve. And the integrated storefront plus community means you're building a real business, not just listing products in someone else's marketplace.

The creator economy is projected to hit $1 trillion by 2034, growing at 21.8% annually. That's a massive opportunity—but only if you're on a platform that's actually designed to help you capture it.

Choose wisely. Your future income depends on it.

Ready to see what a platform built for creator success looks like? Check out Artizan.tv's demo or learn more about how the Pulse Engine can transform your digital product business.